The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-16
THE PASSING OF THE BUFFALO.
Rapid determination of the Once Vast Herds
on the Western Plains.
VIM. T. Hornady. in November Cosmopolitan.

VIM. T. Hornady. in November Cosmopolitan.
When the Union Pacific railway built
from Omaha to Cheyenne, in the years 1867,
it cut through the center of the great buffalo
range, and from it base of operations the
hunters swarmed north and south, Staying
they went. Thus the great herd cut in
twain never to be reunited. The Staked Plain
of Texas presently became the geographical
center of the southern herd, and Glendiye,
Montana. that of the northern. In a short time
the building of the Atchison, Topeka and Sante
Fe, and the Kansas Pacific railways thoroughly
opened up all parts of the southern buffalo
country. and in 1879 there arose a demand for
buffalo robes that proved fatal to the species.
The war of determination began Immediately,
and according to the statistics that have been
gathered and published by Colonel Dodge. the
years 1872 8 and IA saw the destruction of over
four million three hundred and seventy-three
thousand seven hundred and thirty buffalo on
the southern range Thus was this great herd
SLAUGHTERED out of existence in about three
years time The survivors sought refuge in the
desolate wastes of the Staked Plain; but even
there the relentless hunters still pursued them,
when bull robes sold for only one dollar and
twenty five cents each, and the COWS were
slaughtered for skins that were worth the paitry
of only sixty cents That was bad enough,
and entirely too bad but if I could call up be-
fore you a vision of the hundreds of thousands
of dead buffalo that We're heartlessly slain for
their tongues their humps, or for ''sport" ~
alone you would sicken at the sight Never in
the history of the whole animal kingdom has
there been such another bloody and cruel car
mage, or one that yielded so little in proportion
to the total value involved.
In 1876 the northern herd was probably
twenty times as large as the southern, and coy
cred twenty times much territory. 1t
estimated by the buffalo hunters that there were
five hundred thousand buffalo within a radius
of one hundred and fifty miles of Miles City,
Montana, alone and that the northern range
contained over million head.
The Northern Pacific railway opened for
traffic from Glendive eastward in $780, and the
buffalo hunters made assault in force the
northern herd. Buffalo hides were shipped
eastward by the railway and the Missouri river
by tens of thousands, until 1884, when the work
of determination was complete. In 1885 not a
single fresh hide was in the market, and in the
year following only two rewarded the inquiries
of the buyers. The buffalo were gone forever,
not only from the United States. but from the
British possessions as Well Last year the
largest fur house in Montreal asked from thirty
TO forty dollars each for the robes, and some of
the leading furriers of New York had none at
all
Another fact that stares us unpleasantiy in
the face is that. with the exception of the wild
buffalo in National Park. all of which will
eventually either wander out or be frightened
out and killed, unless the Park is enclosed by
barbed wire fence in time to prevent it, the
National government has not single buffalo
any of its reservations. anywhere else in
charge of any one in its employ. In spite of the
attention that is being paid III other quarters to
the development of our animal products, no
steps whatever have been taken TO preserve Dos
Americans from total humiliation. AT all
events, it now seems reasonably certain that in
three years more there will not be a wild buffalo
remaining the whole continent of North
America. except in the National Park.
Up to 1866 the whole of the great western
pasture region from the foot hills of the Rocky
Mountains eastward to the borders of civiliza-
ton, and from the Saskatchewan to the Staked
Plain of Texas occupied by buffalo With
IN our own territory the number of head alive
IN 1868 must have been about eight millions.
Even as late as 1868 Mr.. William Blackmore de-
clares that in making journey of one hundred
and twenty miles from Ellsworth to Sheridan
they passed through an almost unbroken herd
of buffalo. In those days that tract of country
would be literally black with buffalo, and it
seemed as if they never could be all killed OFF,